text:
Goodbye Summer: Fluking Ice Cream
Officially, there are only 4 days of summer remaining, although our summers do like to linger behind weeks after we've bade her farewell. What can I say, she likes it here in Sydney and how could you not, we welcome her with open arms, plead with her not to leave come February and yearn for her return mid August.
Sydney I think, is at its best in summer, some may argue that it is spring when she is her prettiest and this may be true, but all we are, are merely waking up from the slumber of humdrum winter days. Sydney is most alive in the summertime, when the sun is out, the humidity is at its peak and flies are doing their best to cling to you.
Yes, nothing beats a hot, fly-infested summer. I think the locals have become accustomed to this nuisance come summer, although the visitors have a hard time coping with it. A friend studying here from Africa is convinced she is under attack, although they never seem to bother me anymore, but enough about flies.
So now that we are counting down, numbering the precious days we have left of genial weather and resplendently abundant sunshine, I must turn to the fact that I have only blogged about ice all but once this entire season. I have been making use of the ice cream machine that came into my possession over the Christmas period, although most excursions have been undocumented. Undocumented in the fact that they have, well, not quite up to the standard that I like to regale my readers.
The ice creams in question were so disastrous that my freezer for some time had become a morgue for deceased ice cream. It became the case where creative inspiration, alas did not meet with successful realisation. The only realisation that took place was the realisation that my ice creams sucked. They actually didn't suck that much at the time of conception, sure the concept was great, although something must have gone awry in the process of execution that I somehow gave birth to a mass of icy abominations.
Perhaps I should just stick to more familiar flavours, like run and raisin, rocky road, even vanilla. At least success would have come more easily. Luckily after the third disaster, I decided to stick to combinations I knew were tried and tested and not even I, the fumbling ice cream maker could not stuff up. After the many misappropriations of cream, milk and eggs, I eventually managed to churn out something worthy of this blog. I wasn't going to lower the bar for those other things that even my dog wouldn't eat.
Let's just say that clementine and champagne ice cream sounded like a great idea on paper. But, in actual fact, it tasted worse than that cherry flavoured cough syrup that your mother used to force feed you as a child, as you writhed in discontent as it unwillingly made its way down your throat. Feeling a like a complete loser, here I present to you my two best creations: Coffee and Hazelnut Ice Cream and Honey Ginger Gelato.
The coffee ice cream is made with hazelnut flavoured coffee so the hints of hazelnut are quite subtle. Although if you are more inclined to use ground hazelnut, go for it. I wasn't too sure about what this would do to the texture of the ice cream, and given my track record, I decided to go for something a lot simpler, the fewer ingredients the better.
The gelato, was little bit more of a gamble, I had never used honey in an ice cream before, and was scared about what this would do to the taste. But it's a wonder what the combination of milk, eggs, honey and ginger can do, as by the end it looked like what gelato shoudl look like and, unlike previous attempts, it actually seemed edible! In fact at first I wasn't too keen on the honey ginger combination, which surprised me as I love it cakes and biscuits, but somehow it didn't taste quite right to me. However my family loved it, so I guess it wasn't a complete failure.
So give these recipes a go, but I cannot sure you that they will turn out successfully. Who knows these could have been a fluke.
Coffee Hazelnut Ice Cream
100g sugar
4 egg yolks
400ml full cream milk
1 tbsp hazelnut flavoured coffee ground
500ml pure cream (35%-55% milkfat)
In a large bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolk together until think and pale.
Place milk and coffee in a medium heavy based saucepan over low heat and bring the milk just to a gentle simmer.
Remove from heat and strain the milk using a fine sieve.
Gradually pour the strained milk into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking slowly as you go.
Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk the custard until it thickens. (If you have a thermometer, the custard should be at about 60°C.)
Remove custard from heat and pass through a fine sieve again to remove any clumps that may have formed. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 1-2 hours.
Using a whisk, incorporate cream into the custard*.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions**.
When churned, transfer ice cream to a 1.2-litre air tight container and place in the freezer.
The ice cream should be ready to serve after 1-2 hours.
*Ensure that you do not add the cream to a warm custard.
** Under no circumstances should you place warm custard into an ice cream machine, unless you want to destroy it.
Honey and Ginger Gelato
7 egg yolks
100g honey
1 small knob of fresh ginger, sliced (for infusing)
1 tsp ginger ground
In a large saucepan set over a pan of simmering water, whisk milk and egg yolks together.Add the honey , ginger slices and ginger ground and continuously whisk until honey has dissolved and the mixture has thickened. This will take about 20 minutes and the custard should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.Remove the custard from the heat and remove ginger slices.
Allow the custard to chill in the refrigerator.When the custard has completely chilled, pour into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.Store the ice cream in a 1-litre air tight container and freeze.The gelato should be ready to srve after freezing for 1-2 hours.


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John Ehrlichman
former government official, author
Born: 3/20/1925
Birthplace: Tacoma, Wash.
President Nixon's domestic affairs advisor (1969–73) who was one of several White House officials imprisoned for involvement in the Watergate scandal (1976–78). After serving 18 months in jail, he became a writer and a syndicated radio news commentator. A graduate of Stanford University School of Law (1951), Ehrlichman was a partner in a Seattle law firm before signing on as tour director of Nixon's presidential campaign in 1968. He was Presidential Counsel (1968) and then Presidential Assistant for Domestic Affairs (1969). One of Nixon's closest aides, Ehrlichman resigned after the Watergate scandal and was convicted of conspiracy and perjury in 1975.
Died: 2/14/1999 See also:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Next: The Echo Area, Previous: The Mode Line, Up: Window Commands [Contents][Index]
It can be convenient to view more than one node at a time. To allow
this, Info can display more than one window. Each window has its
own mode line (see The Mode Line) and history of nodes viewed in that
window (see history-node
)Select the next window on the screen. Note that the echo area can only be selected if it is already in use, and you have left it temporarily. Normally, 'C-x o' simply moves the cursor into the next window on the screen, or if you are already within the last window, into the first window on the screen. Given a numeric argument, 'C-x o' moves over that many windows. A negative argument causes 'C-x o' to select the previous window on the screen.
Select the previous window on the screen. This is identical to 'C-x o' with a negative argument.
)Split the current window into two windows, both showing the same node.
Each window is one half the size of the original window, and the
cursor remains in the original window. The variable
can cause all of the windows on the screen to
be resized for you automatically (see automatic-tiling
)Delete the current window from the screen. If you have made too many windows and your screen appears cluttered, this is the way to get rid of some of them.
)Delete all of the windows excepting the current one.
)Scroll the other window, in the same fashion that 'C-v' might scroll the current window. Given a negative argument, scroll the "other" window backward.
)Grow (or shrink) the current window. Given a numeric argument, grow the current window that many lines; with a negative numeric argument, shrink the window instead.
)Divide the available screen space among all of the visible windows.
Each window is given an equal portion of the screen in which to
display its contents. The variable automatic-tiling
can cause
to be called when a window is created or deleted.
See automatic-tiling
Next: The Echo Area, Previous: The Mode Line, Up: Window Commands [Contents][Index]


text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Show All Answers
To purchase a dog license at a location near you, please see the locations at the link below: Locations for Purchasing a License
Contact the Auditor's office at, 419-337-9298. They will replace it for $5.00.
Dogs that have been seized by the county dog warden and impounded shall be kept, housed and fed for three days for the purpose of redemption, as provided by section 955.18 of the Revised Code.
The Dog Warden does work with outside adoption agencies and the public to adopt dogs redeemed. An adoption agency, if interested, could take the dog who has not been redeemed past the required 3 day period. Click the link below to see our dog adoption page! Dogs Available for Adoption
The warden and deputies shall also investigate all claims for damages to animals reported to them under section 955.29 of the Revised Code and assist claimants to fill out the claim form therefor. They shall make weekly reports, in writing, to the board in their respective counties of all dogs seized, impounded, redeemed, and destroyed and of all claims for damage to animals inflicted by dogs.
Yes, you may email the dog pound at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Lewis & Clark named one of Sierra Club's top 5 sustainable schools
Open gallery
For the third year in a row, Sierra magazine has named Lewis & Clark one of its top "Cool Schools," a list that honors America's greenest colleges and universities. Lewis & Clark is the only school in the Pacific Northwest to be included on the 2014 list.
From classes in environmental studies to student-run gardens, Lewis & Clark integrates sustainability at every level. This commitment helped move Lewis & Clark up 14 places on this year's Sierra Club list of 173 colleges and universities, from No. 19 in 2013 to No. 5 in 2014.
"From exemplary teaching to innovative programs in areas such as environmental education and overseas study, all grounded in the faculty's close collaboration with our students, Lewis & Clark is receiving ever more national recognition as a leader in liberal arts education for the 21st century," President Barry Glassner said.
The Sierra Club rankings are based on surveys that track categories including energy supply, water usage, food, research, curriculum, learning outcomes, purchasing, transportation, waste management, financial investments, and innovation.
Learn more about Lewis & Clark's commitment to sustainability and our classes in environmental law, environmental studies, and ecopsychology.
Sierra rankings Sustainability at Lewis & Clark Barry Glassner on sustainability in USA Today
email firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Big Fish – 2003 – dir. Tim Burton
Tim Burton's Big Fish is an homage to everything that we were, everything that we are, and everything that we will be. What really bakes your noodle is the reveal that it's all happening, every moment, all at once.
Based on the novel by mythology enthusiast Daniel Wallace (watch for a cameo of Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces on Ed Bloom's nightstand), Big Fish is a tale about everything big in our lives: the worlds of our childhood, the worlds of being in love, and the worlds of responsibility, maturity, death, and beyond.


text:
In 1911, Eugene Blum took his initials and his wife's family name, Levy, to coin "Eugene Blum Et Levy" - EBEL. In 1914, just three years after its formation, the brand won a coveted gold medal at the Swiss National Exhibition. The family company has been successfully producing sought-after wristwatches ever since.
This watch is guaranteed 100% authentic, has original serial numbers and is shipped in factory-fresh,
brand new, unworn condition with all manufacturer documentation and packaging.
Package contains watch manufacturer's certificate of authenticity (if such certificate is applicable,
and provided by the manufacturer), tags, stickers, boxes, and user manuals.
We will gladly accept returns within 30 days of receipt of delivery. Watches must be returned to us in brand new, unworn and undamaged condition. All domestic purchases showing as "In Stock" under $3000 will receive a full refund minus shipping fees. A 10% restocking fee will apply on all other orders. Read more.
Gemnation ships your domestic order free via FedEx/UPS Insured Standard Delivery (3-5 days) after your order has been processed. Please read the additional information section next to the watch to determine processing times. Watches that cost less than $200, will be shipped via FedEx/UPS Ground. Read more.
We sell luxury timepieces at considerably lower prices than the manufacturers list price. Gemnation is not
an Authorized Ebel Watch Dealer and is not affiliated with Ebel. Authorized dealers are not permitted
to discount or sell watches on the Internet. For this reason, we choose not to be authorized watch dealers
for many of the brands that we sell.
Since we are not authorized dealers for many of the watch manufacturers, we may be unable to ship the original
watch manufacturers warranty. In all cases, however, we provide a Two Year Gemnation Warranty (active from the
date of purchase).
Gemnation utilizes a full-time Swiss-trained watchmaker who is licensed and trained to repair every brand and model of watch that we sell. If we can supply the original warranty we provide this information in the individual watch description. Read More.
Mon - Thur 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Fri 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (ET)


text:
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:47 am
- Real Name: Kay Golze
- Fusion startpage
- Blackmagic-Fusion-Studio-startpage.png (13.11 KiB) Viewed 1868 times
Hi, I observed that FUSION Studio 18.1.2 starts on my machine only when I start the program on the main monitor 1.
I work with two monitors. My system has three graphics cards, one internal CPU graphics (I9 12900K, Intel Core i9 UHD Graphics 770) and two external NVIDIA P6000 24GB in SLI mode. Monitor 1 works with CPU graphics, Monitor 2 works with the main graphics card of the NVIDIA package. If I start FUSION and move my cursor to the second monitor during startup (e.g. because the mouse gets rusty), Fusion starts up to the main window, but then hangs and does not allow any more input. Fusion starts normally when the program is launched on Monitor 1 and the mouse cursor remains in Monitor 1.
The second effect is also interesting. After a successful launch of Fusion, if I move the program to the second monitor and run a render, want to do other work in the first monitor, Fusion crashes without error message.
Both errors are easily reproducible.
A third effect. Maybe it's all connected. I sometimes use the Node SphericalStabilizer to stabilize 8k videos. The graphics cards are used between 1-4% at the PreRender (Tracking process). The CPU is about 35% (The machine doesn't really do anything). In the IO, single-digit MB are read or written. The processing times with Fusion are very high and actually not justifiable in terms of costs. Am I doing something wrong or is it because of the software?
- Fusion in action
- Blackmagic-Fusion-Studio-in_action.png (91.44 KiB) Viewed 1868 times
In the graph it is interesting to see that when fusion is minimized into the taskbar, the performance core is turned off. When Fusion is displayed on the monitor in full image, apparently all cores are used. Program minimized, Fusion uses only the efficient cores, program maximized, efficient cores and performance core are used together. This effect can be verified at any time, as I have noticed.
It is particularly annoying that Fusion crashes after about 60 minutes of tracking without error message. This is annoying with a version of 18.x.
Is this normal or a mistake on my part?
8-12k VR production.
ASUS Maximus Z690 Formula, I9 12900K, DDR5 64GB/5200,
2xNVIDIA P6000 24GB, 84 TB Workspace
ASUS Maximus Z690 Formula, I9 12900K, DDR5 64GB/5200,
2xNVIDIA P6000 24GB, 84 TB Workspace


text:
The following article originally appeared in The Interface, IEEE Education Society and ASEE Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (No.1, April 1997) and was reprinted in the latest issue of the MIT Faculty Newsletter (Volume X, No. 4, January/February 1988).
Some ideas came to a focus for me recently when we held a memorial service here at MIT for Gordon Brown. Many readers of The Interface will know instantly who Gordon Brown was, but for the others, let me explain.
Gordon served as head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at MIT from 1952-59 and then as dean of engineering for the next nine years. He retired in 1973 and lived his later years in Tucson, AZ, where for some time he acted as an energetic citizen-champion to promote the use of system dynamics in the public schools. He was almost 89 when he died last August.
It is not too much to say that Gordon Brown had more impact on engineering education during the past 50 years than any other person. As department head and later as dean, he pushed through his vision of an engineering education based on fundamental science -- not the same science that was of interest to scientists, but rather "engineering science," those aspects that supported the practice of engineering. Although this concept seems perfectly natural today, it was radical in the 1950s.
In preparing my remarks for his memorial service, I came to appreciate better why such revolutionary ideas were necessary at that time, and also what other, equally radical ideas might be appropriate today.
It is all a matter of time constants. Yes, time constants. This is a concept that Gordon Brown, the expert in servomechanisms, knew very well. Just as electrical systems are characterized by natural time constants, so are natural phenomena and even social systems. We electrical engineers have a relative advantage in understanding the dynamics of such systems because of our familiarity with the dynamics of engineered systems.
We know that when dealing with rapidly changing, or dynamic, things, we can approximate slowly varying things as constant, or static. This approach is no less valid for natural or social systems than for engineered systems. For example, we think of the locations of continents as fixed on human time scales, even though they have moved on geological time scales. It is all a matter of time constants.
In engineering education, the most important time constant is 40 years, the length of one engineer's career. When designing an educational program, things that change slowly may be considered constant over a 40-year period, whereas things that change more rapidly must be considered as variable, in the sense that they may change during a single person's career.
Before 1900, advances in engineering (and in other fields) occurred at what seems today an incredibly slow rate. Fifty years passed between the inventions of the electric motor and the electric light. It took a hundred years for Coulomb's Law to turn into Maxwell's Equations. A practicing engineer could base an entire career on engineering techniques learned in school. The underlying science was changing so slowly that it could be considered as static, as far as an individual career was concerned. It is all a matter of time constants.
In the first half of the 20th century, science, especially physics, began to change more rapidly. Atomic theory, quantum mechanics, and relativity were introduced. But engineering education was not changed; the presumption continued to be that the science that was important to the practice of engineering was static, or unchanging.
The Second World War exposed the flaw in that reasoning dramatically. The atomic bomb was developed by physicists and chemists who understood atomic theory. Radar was developed by physicists who understood electromagnetism better. Engineers played a distinctly secondary role.
Gordon Brown recognized the problem. The presumption of a static science was obsolete. What was needed was a new model, in which the underlying science could change. Not only could specific branches of science advance rapidly, but other branches of science that had previously been of no engineering importance could suddenly become relevant.
As department head at MIT, Gordon led the revisions of the undergraduate electrical engineering curriculum to incorporate engineering science. He included an ample amount of science, to make it possible for our graduates to learn areas of engineering based on diverse sciences. He also exposed students to many different sciences, so that they would feel comfortable learning still other branches of science later in their careers.
Then, as dean, he extended this idea to other fields of engineering. Graduates of these programs, and similar programs elsewhere, went out to populate the faculty of many other universities, and the result was that today almost all engineering education has a heavy reliance on engineering science.
A question of critical importance to the readers of The Interface is whether this model of engineering grounded in a dynamic, changingbase of science will serve us as well in the future as it has in the past. I personally believe it will. There is no indication that the rate of scientific advance is slowing, or that new sciences will be any less necessary. The only question might be which areas of science to incorporate. Many universities (including my own) are betting that biology will be as important in the future as physics is today. We now require a semester of biology for all students.
Another question that arises is whether, if Gordon Brown were alive today, he might have his sights set on a more important change than merely the selection of which sciences to include in what amounts. I believe he would. Let me explain. Again, it is all a matter of time constants.
We continue to educate our students as though the context in which engineering is done is static, or at worst slowly varying. By the word "context" I mean the cultural, political, industrial, social and work environment in which an engineer practices. By failing to prepare our students to deal with a dynamic, or changing context, we are assuming that such changes have a time constant longer than 40 years. In other words, we recognize that science is dynamic, but we still think context is static.
There is ample evidence that this assumption is now obsolete. During the past 50 years we have seen several changes in context. Today, society values the environment and disapproves of pollution in a way that was unknown in 1950. Today, almost half of the engineering undergraduates are women. Today, new countries are being formed every year, and new cultures are asserting their importance all the time. Today, American industry competes globally. Today, a successful engineer must be nimble -- to cope with shorter design cycles, changing styles of activity, more teamwork, constantly improving design tools and more effective global communications.
As these examples show, the context today is radically different from what it was 50 years ago or even 10 years ago. That is, context is changing too rapidly to be considered constant during a 40-year career. Once again, it is all a matter of time constants.
What should we do to equip our students to deal with a rapidly changing context? That is probably the most important question facing electrical engineering education today. Different people have different ideas.
One idea is to ensure that students have a greater classroom exposure to various contexts. The traditional way of doing this is a liberal arts education. However, engineers also need their science base, and in addition they need the engineering approach to problem solving, which liberal arts programs do not usually supply. Perhaps what is needed is a new form of liberal arts education, with a muchheavier dose of many sciences, along with some engineering experience. Or perhaps what is needed is a system where engineering is a professional, graduate program open only to graduates of a liberal arts program.
Another idea might be to strongly increase the creative, design portion of the curriculum so that a variety of contexts for design problems can be experienced. Another idea might be to emphasize exposure to multiple cultures via international exchange programs.
In judging any of these ideas, ask whether the graduates will be able to cope with profound changes in their context during their career. In other words, ask whether they will continue to learn after leaving school, both in technical and non-technical areas.
One wall in our department headquarters at MIT is adorned with pictures of past department heads. Gordon Brown's picture is prominent among them. I see it every day as I come to work, and sometimes wonder how he would approach things if he were around today. The need for a change is quite clear -- it is all a matter of time constants. The way of satisfying that need seems much more elusive; it represents what is perhaps today's greatest and noblest challenge for us engineering educators.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on April 8, 1998.


text:
the vampiric countdown here as we flap toward Halloween, coming in at
number 8 is another movie from 1987 – NEAR DARK.
Near Dark was directed by Katheryn Bigelow and stars Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Adrian Pasdar. It tells the story of a guy name Caleb who meets and instantly falls for a young girl name Mae. Unfortunately for Caleb, she is not your normal girl next door. Mae bites him on the neck, turning him into a vampire. He is forced to take up with Mae's group of rowdy friends, her surrogate vampire family, to survive.
This film
inevitably draws comparisons with The Lost Boys for a number of
reasons. First, they were both released in 1987. Lost Boys came out
first and was a huge success – three months later Near Dark was released
and did terribly at the box office, losing money. Both are about a
young guy who falls for a beautiful girl who is a vampire and becomes
part of a "family" of vampires. Both must decide whether to accept their
fate as a member of the walking dead or reject it and choose life.
this movie kicks Lost Boys ass. These vampires are not the Gap
fashioned, dangling earring wearing, well-coiffed vampires of Lost
Boys but rather a rugged, dirty, vicious batch of bloodthirsty
(literally) killers on the run. The cast is terrific and Bill Paxton
steals the show in an unforgettable scene in a bar.
Dark has gained a cult following over the years and I was fortunate to
catch it at The Belcourt Theater in Nashville last year at a midnight
showing. Check out Near Dark if you've never seen it – It's finger
lickin good!!


text: SIGNET has grown to be a global brand in recent years with operations in all major markets and regions. We supply a diverse range of hand & power tools to the worldwide customers. With nearly twenty years of supplying experience, we serve only quality products at competitive price. .......read more>>


text:
The following is reprinted with permission. For more on this topic, check out Programming Microsoft's Clouds: Azure and Office 365
The Difference Between SQL Server and SQL Azure
Unlike SQL Server where your Databases are the only ones on your Database server, SQL Azure may use a single physical server to host Databases from many different customers. This difference in approach is fundamental—SQL Azure is inherently multitenant, and it needs to share physical resources among all clients of the service. This fact underlies many of the feature differences between SQL Server and SQL Azure; although, a tremendous overlap exists in functionality and compatibility between the two.
Comparing Architectures
SQL Azure is specifically intended to feel familiar to developers using SQL Server, because it takes a recognizable approach to communication, authentication, and development. In many cases, the difference between programming against SQL Azure and SQL Server is the value placed in the connection string. Using the Tabular Data Stream (TDS) protocol for communication, using SQL logins for authentication, and programming with Transact SQL (T-SQL) are familiar to any SQL Server developer.
It is helpful to understand the differences between the on-premises SQL Server and the cloud-based SQL Azure by comparing the communication architecture of each one side-by-side, as shown in Figure 11-1. For an on-premises SQL Server, you typically have your applications talking directly to SQL Server across your local area network using the TDS protocol over TCP/IP or via HTTP endpoints. This is different from how your on-premises applications communicate with SQL Azure. As you can see, your applications must now call out, possibly through your own network's firewalls, and reach the SQL Azure Gateway via the Internet, and they can use only TCP/IP.
In addition, unlike for SQL Server, which can communicate on a configurable port without transport security, communication with SQL Azure must happen using SSL, and it must occur via port 1433. Furthermore, it is already at the Gateway that validation of your login occurs. SQL Azure, unlike SQL Server, supports only SQL Server Authentication (using a login and password, not Windows Integrated Security).
The Gateway is also where another firewall enters the picture—the SQL Azure Firewall. This firewall enforces IP-level security, catering only for IP addresses and address ranges that you explicitly define to be allowed access to your SQL Azure Server.
Once past the Gateway, a connection to the backend data node hosting your SQL Azure Database is made, using the Gateway as a proxy. Each backend data node runs a single instance of SQL Server containing its own Database, where this database is divided into partitions. Each partition contains a SQL Azure user Database (e.g., your database).
Aside from this single instance, each SQL Azure user Database is replicated a further two times, on two different backend data nodes. These replicas provide no load-balancing services to handle user queries—they are solely to provide SQL Azure's very high availability by enabling failover to one of the two replicas should the node hosting the primary node go down.
However, an element of load balancing does exist in this picture. If one backend node becomes overloaded by the workload of its shared tenants, then the underlying infrastructure (called the SQL Azure Fabric) may change the primary replicas of some users' Databases to one of the backup replicas found on a different backend node, converting this primary into a secondary replica for those Databases.
Beyond providing relational Database capabilities to your on-premises applications, observe how SQL Azure is well positioned to provide support for off-premises applications (like partners) and, more important, applications hosted within Windows Azure.
Aside from the architectural differences, numerous feature differences become apparent during development on, administration of, and licensing for SQL Azure that you should be aware of. The following sections explore the notable differences for these.
In the spirit of maintaining a familiar feel, SQL Azure has a high degree of feature parity to SQL Server with respect to the needs of the developer. In terms of support for T-SQL grammar for Data Definition Language (DDL), Data Manipulation Language (DML), and general programmability, you can find a mixture of levels of support that vary between full parity with the SQL Server; to partial parity (where some options are omitted, or added uniquely to support SQL Azure); to data types, functions, operators, statements, procedures, and system tables/views that are flat-out not supported at all.
DDL Differences
DDL encompasses the features you need to define your Database schema and objects. For DDL, you can find near full-feature parity for DDL statements like Create/Alter/Drop affecting Database objects such as Tables, Views, Stored Procedures, Functions, Triggers, User Defined Types, and Indexes. There are some notable differences though, in that they generally lack support for some specific features that exist only in the on-premises versions of SQL Server. The following are a couple of stand-out differences:
- The Common Language Runtime (CLR) integration is not supported within SQL Azure, which means stored procedures, triggers, and user-defined functions written in a .NET language are not supported in SQL Azure. This limitation has its roots in the multitenant nature of SQL Azure, aiming to protect tenants from the accidental or intentional misuse of CLR objects by other tenants on the same server.
- Extended Stored Procedures, such as xp_sendmail, are not supported. This, too, is a limitation designed to ensure tenant isolation.
- Table partitioning (horizontal partitioning that spreads table/index data across multiple file groups within a single Database to improve performance on large datasets) is not supported.
- A clustered index is required on all SQL Azure tables. SQL Azure does not support heap tables, and INSERT operations will fail until a clustered index is created.
- Snapshot isolation is enabled and cannot be turned off at the Database level.
SQL Azure supports almost all the system data types found in SQL Server from numeric types such as int and real, date and time such as datetime, character strings such as char and nvarchar, and binary strings such as varbinary and image. It even supports some of the more specialized data types such as the spatial data types geography and geometry, hierarchyid, and xml. Although the XML data type is supported, typed XML and XML indexing are not.
For a complete list of supported data types in SQL Azure, you should read this document on MSDN:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/ee336233.aspx
Data types that are not supported include: CLR user-defined types and user-defined aggregates, and the FILESTREAM attribute on varbinary(max) typed columns is not supported.
DML Differences
Data Manipulation Language (DML) encompasses the features for performing CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations against your Database data. The standard querying of tables and views accomplished using the SELECT clause, TOP, and the FROM statement, and optionally WHERE, ORDER BY, GROUP BY, or HAVING statements function exactly as they do in SQL Server. In addition, you can find support for the following:
- EXCEPT, INTERSECT, and UNION
- Cursors
- Common Table Expressions
- FOR XML and FOR BROWSEs
- MARS (multiple active result sets)
SQL Azure supports all the same Query, Table, and Join Hints as the on-premises SQL Server, with the exceptions of MAXDOP (which it always treats as 1) and PAGLOCK and REMOTE (neither of which it supports).
The largest difference to query support is that Full-Text search (for example, using CONTAINS, FREETEXT, and so on) is not supported by SQL Azure. Character-based searches with LIKE are supported.
For data modification, UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE, and MERGE are all fully supported, but BULK INSERT is not supported.
In terms of programmability, consider the T-SQL statements you typically use to define logic within stored procedures and functions. The following are all supported:
- Exception handling with TRY. . .CATCH, as well as THROW, is fully supported.
- CAST and CONVERT
- Use of tempdb and creation of temporary tables
In addition, SQL Azure provides full support for all aggregate functions (AVG, MAX, and so on), all ranking functions (RANK, ROW_NUMBER, and so on) and all ODBC scalar functions, as well as most scalar functions found in SQL Server. Only the row set functions CONTAINSTABLE, FREETEXTTABLE, OPENDATASOURCE, OPENQUERY, OPENROWSET, and OPENXML are not supported.
The feature most likely to catch you unaware as a developer is SQL Azure's transaction support. Local transactions that work with only the current Database (such as those using BEGIN_TRANSACTION. . .END, COMMIT, and ROLLBACK) are fully supported, but distributed transactions that span multiple Databases are not.
Naming Conventions
Aside from the lack of physical server and application management and patching, hosting a relational Database in the cloud naturally introduces changes to how Database administration is performed. SQL Azure has quite a few changes from SQL Server that you should be aware of.
The architecture of a SQL Azure deployment is logical, rather than physical. When you create a SQL Azure Database, what you actually manage are three logical entities: Subscription, Server, and Database (see Figure 11-2).
A Subscription encompasses all your Windows Azure platform services, such as hosted services, storage, caching, and SQL Azure, and provides the context under which use of these services is metered and billed.
Unlike a SQL Server, an Azure Server does not represent a physical or virtual machine running the Database services. In Azure, a Server is a logical grouping of Databases sharing a common datacenter region and firewall configuration. Databases grouped beneath a single Azure Server may run on different physical data nodes in the SQL Azure infrastructure.
A Database is a logical representation of the familiar SQL Server user Database. Recall from the introduction that in the SQL Azure topology your Database actually exists as a partition within a SQL Server Database instance. Each Database is created with a specific maximum size and edition. Currently, sizes and editions are available, as shown in Table 11-1, but the maximum database size is 150GB.
It used to be that the edition selected would restrict which sizes you could select, or switch between. For example, if you selected Web, then you could switch between only 1GB and 5GB Databases; switching a Web edition Database to a 10GB Business edition Database was not possible. This originally was designed to encourage you to commit to a certain maximum size (which presumably helped behind the scenes with resource allocation). Thankfully, as of the latest versions of SQL Azure, you can switch between sizes without restriction. You must ensure you never reach the configured maximum size because at that point you will receive errors when trying to create objects or insert or update data.
When a Server is created, a master Database is created along with it that is used to store metadata about the Server and the Databases it contains. This master Database cannot be deleted.
A single Server can manage 149 user-created Databases plus the required master Database for a total of 150 Databases. A Server can manage any mixture of Database editions and sizes. By default, a single Subscription can create up to six Servers. In addition, a Subscription defines a global quota across all Servers of 15 Business Edition Databases or 150 Web edition Databases.
Security and Access Control
Access to SQL Azure is controlled by two devices: a firewall and SQL logins. A SQL Azure Server enables you to specify Firewall rules allowing access from ranges of IP addresses, as well as from Windows Azure platform resources. When a SQL Azure Server is created, an administrative login referred to as the Server-level principal is also created. This login is conceptually equivalent to the "sa" account on SQL Server. SQL Azure does not support Windows Integrated authentication, so all logins are SQL Logins having a username and password.
At the Database level, SQL Azure security has a great deal of parity to an on-premises SQL Server. You create additional logins that enable connection to the Server, and associate those with Database users who have permissions within a specific Database. The T-SQL for access control–related statements, such as Create/Alter/Drop Login; Role, User or Grant/Revoke Database Permissions; Database Principal Permissions; and Type Permissions or changing entity ownership with Alter Authorization, is supported.
SQL Azure requires that all connections use Transport Layer Security (TLS) by allowing only connections that happen across SSL. Clients of SQL Azure should validate the Certificate provided by SQL Azure to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks when using SSL.
When it comes to encryption of data at rest, SQL Azure lacks a few of the features found in SQL Server. For example, SQL Azure does not support Transparent Data Encryption nor the Extensible/External Encryption Key Management features of SQL Server. If you need to encrypt portions of your data, you must implement your own solution for key management and for encrypting/decrypting data.
SQL Azure provides for high availability with an infrastructure delivering automatic replication across three replicas and automatic failover from the primary replica to one of the two backup replicas. However, this replication is specific to SQL Azure and is not to be confused with SQL Server Replication. In addition, SQL Azure does not provide support for Database mirroring or log shipping.
Backup and Restore
Backup and restore of production Databases is vital to any Database. Although SQL Azure provides the aforementioned replication to provide high availability, this protects you only against failures within the datacenter (such as hardware problems, data corruption, and so on). It does not protect your data against user errors.
With SQL Server, you would typically create a backup to the filesystem and restore from the same. With SQL Azure, this is not allowed because that filesystem for an SQL Azure data node represents a potentially shared resource across all the tenants who have Databases on that node. This translates to there being no support for BACKUP/RESTORE statements or attaching/detaching Databases; instead you must take an alternative approach, such as the following:
- Database copy: With SQL Azure you can run a CREATE DATABASE statement that creates a copy of a SQL Azure Database in another Database within the same or a different Server.
- Data Tier Application Import/Export: You can export entire SQL Azure Databases, schema, and data, as Data Tier Applications (BACPAC) and import from them as well via the Azure Portal.
- Scripts: You can use the Generate Scripts Wizard within SQL Server Management Studio to export schema and data from your SQL Azure Database to SQL script files, which you can run to re-create your Database.
- Data Sync Services: Enables you to run regular synchronizations between SQL Azure Databases or SQL Azure and SQL Server Databases.
- SQL Server Integration Services: You can use an instance of SSIS running on-premises against a SQL Azure Database.
- Bulk copy: Using the bcp utility or SqlBulkCopy class to bulk load data.
- SQL Azure Migration Wizard: Among other features, enables you to create backups of SQL Azure Database schema and data, or migrate between SQL Server and SQL Azure.
Backup to Azure Blob Storage via BACPAC is currently available in CTP form within the Azure Portal and is planned for a future release. That said, there is also a small community of third-party tools to help you with your SQL Azure Backup needs, such as SQL Azure Backup from Red Gate Software.
Diagnostics and Monitoring
Because SQL Azure instances are multitenant, many of the diagnostic and monitoring features you may have been accustomed to accessing as a system administrator really no longer apply and are not available. These include the SQL Server Utility (for holistic monitoring of resource utilization across servers), SQL Trace & Profiler, Extended Events (for example, ETW traces written to Event Log), the Data Collector, and many system tables. Instead, most diagnostic and health monitoring is performed by querying a small set of dynamic management views.
Administration Automation
Many of the features for automating administration are still available with SQL Azure, with the caveat that there is no direct remote access to the server. As a result, any automation tools must be run from on-premises or, for instance, from a Windows Azure-hosted role that targets SQL Azure. SQL Server PowerShell and SQL Agent (and Jobs), for example, do not run within SQL Azure but can run from remote machines that target your SQL Azure instance. Furthermore, SQL Azure does not support the use of Service Broker (which is often used in the absence of SQL Agent) or the Policy-Based Management available since SQL Server 2008.
Other Unsupported Features
Depending on your specific requirements of SQL Server, you may find additional features missing in the current release of SQL Azure, including the following:
- Master Data Services
- Change Data Capture and Data Auditing
- Resource Governor
- Data compression
- SQL Server Browser
Unique to SQL Azure—Support for Federations
As previously mentioned, table partitioning is not supported. However, similar performance gains for handling large data can be achieved with SQL Azure Federations, which effectively spreads your data across multiple SQL Azure Databases. This is a powerful feature update to SQL Azure that makes it easier to leverage SQL Azure's scalability.
In general, working with SQL Azure enables you to leverage the tools familiar to you from working with SQL Server, such as SQL Server Management Studio (this includes the Express Edition, but requires 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 and upward and Visual Studio 2010 with Service Pack 1).
Beyond these, SQL Azure provides some of its own additional web-based tooling for development and management in the Azure Management Portal and the Database Manager.
In addition, a preview of a cloud-based version of Reporting Services, called SQL Azure Reporting, provides report hosting and management as a service. Reports published here can be created with SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio or Report Designer and, when published, viewed directly within the web browser or via other formats such as Excel and PDF. These reports can report only on data sourced from SQL Azure Databases.
Because SQL Azure is provided as a service, its licensing model is naturally quite different from SQL Server. In the latter, you buy licenses for servers or clients, whereas with SQL Azure you pay a monthly fee for the Databases that you use by the maximum size used, prorated by their usage in the month. For example, in the current pricing scheme, a single Database using 10GB costs $45.954 per month, and you would be charged that much if you had such a Database created for the whole month (and less than that for each day the Database was not created). In addition to size, you are also billed for the amount of data transferred out of the Azure datacenter.
Observe that there is a special pricing tier for web edition databases created with a MAXSIZE of 1 GB, when the actual space used is between 0 and 100 MB. In this case, you still create a 1GB database, but assuming you use less than 100 MB over the month, you pay half of the rate charged for a 1 GB database per month (for example, $4.995 instead of $9.99). In a similar fashion, databases with an actual space used in the 1-10 GB range, are billed for the first GB, with a lower cost per additional GB. Databases with actual space used between 10-50 GB are billed for the first 10 GB, with an even lower cost per additional GB. Finally, Databases with an actual space used between 50-150 GB are billed for the first 50 GB, with the lowest cost per additional GB.
Another substantial difference is that SQL Azure provides a service-level agreement (SLA), which defines a baseline 99.9 percent availability for your Databases over the course of a month, below which Microsoft issues credits applied to your next month's bill.
With the differences between SQL Azure and SQL Server under your belt, it is time to dive into creating and working with your first SQL Azure Database.
This was from Programming Microsoft's Clouds: Azure and Office 365 by Tom Rizzo written for John Wiley & Sons, Inc. To see how to build your first SQL Azure Database, pick up a copy of the book from your favorite book store on Amazon.com. ISBN: 1118076567


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2012 was a year I focused on high points and less on running/racing, other than to get into shape for Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier. We had bad weather on both and summited neither. Both were great experiences and I learned a lot, but I was left with a pang of disappointment from having to turn around twice. Over Christmas, we did manage to salvage the high pointing year by getting to the high point of MS.
Since Rainer in Sept, I ran a few trail races which went fairly well. Mid Oct. I did a trail half where I was out run in the last 200m and took 3rd in my AG. I did a Halloween race on Halloween which was fun, but in the dark. I got off course and ran about 2 extra miles which cost me a few places in the standings. Oh well.
Early Dec. I ran the Coyote Ridge 20 miler. I had wanted to run this last year but didn't feel I was ready so I ran the 10. It's a challenging but beautiful course. I set a sub 4 hour goal which I met with a 3:51:23, good enough for 3rd in my AG, 7th woman. Totally happy with that.
Coyote was a test for the New Years Day 6 hour run. Last year, Loren and I volunteered and had a lot of fun. I got the idea in my head that perhaps I'd try it. I've never had much interest in running ultras (FYI, I still don't) but I thought a timed event would be an interesting challenge. No pressure on distance, if things suck, you just stop. I wanted to see how things went on the 20 miler before signing up. I signed up shortly after.
I had been training as if I was going to do it and I used a modified Pfitz 12/55 plan (for those not familiar, it's a 12 week plan peaking at a 55 mile week). I cut out almost all the speed work and my peak milage was around 48 miles. I've trained for several marathons using this plan before and it's worked well for me. My longest run was still going to be 20 miles, which I did twice. Although I didn't do speed work, I did hills. Lots of hills. I don't have much of a choice where I live but I've come to really like them and I think they've made me very strong.
The New Year's One Day is put on by Coast Trail Runs. All of the trail racing I've done here in CA has been put on by them. They do great events. There are 3 events of the 1 day: 24 hours, 12 hours, 6 hours. When people tell me I'm crazy for the 6 hours, I point out the 12 and 24 hour options. I look totally sane. The format is complete as many laps of the 1.061 mile loop as you can in the time given. You must complete the whole loop for it to count.
Based on last year's race, I set a goal of 30 miles which is 29 laps (every 16 laps gives you another miles with the .061). Loren thought I'd do 32 miles.
Up until race day, the longest I'd run was 26.2 miles, a marathon. I've done that over a dozen times but as anyone who's every run one knows, things get interesting after 20 miles. I wasn't sure how I'd be after 26 miles. Of course, no pressure to even make it that far if I wasn't feeling it.
Loren and my running sisterwife Barb came to volunteer at the event and both offered to run some with me. A few things I was keeping in mind before starting was how to fuel and not to go out too fast. I didn't want to have 6 hours of gels so Loren made some risotto balls with cheese and balsamic vinegar. They were awesome.
The 6 hour folks lined up at 6pm, there were about 60 of us, the largest of the 3 races. The 12 and 24 hour people were already out on the course.
Just as the gun went off for the 6 hour. |
Not to say there weren't some beautiful things to be seen. The Golden Gate bridge is always beautiful. It was a little cloudy when we started but as the night went on, it cleared up. The moon came up in very dramatic fashion. It was low and huge for a long time over the Bay and was stunning. A short time later, someone launched flaming lanterns over the Bay. It was very surreal in my getting more tired by the lap stage. They looked like giant fire flies, one thing I miss from the East Coast. They lifted up into the sky and just burned out.
As I came around on my 19th lap (mile 20) I was feeling low. My hips hurt from all the flat and the turns. 20 miles is the traditional wall and I was feeling it. I had had 2-3 rice balls, 1-2 gels, 2 small cups of soda, some sports drink, and water up to this point. When I came into the aid station Loren said I looked very sad. I was just having a bit of a moment. I hadn't done any walking and she suggested I walk a bit to break things up. I asked Barb to join me on my next lap around.
Lap 20 and Barb jumped in. I was taking walk breaks for short stretches after the start/finish area. I picked a street sign to walk to then started running again. I'd say it was less than a quarter mile. I'd have some laps where I'd run the whole way through. I got over the wall and was feeling better.
Before the race started, I had a couple of things in mind. 1. I wanted to run 30 miles. 2. If I came around the staging area and there was 20 minutes or so to go in the allotted time, I would go another lap. Of course, these are easy deals to make before the race even starts.
As the laps ticked off, I started doing math (all runners know this is never a good idea late in a long race). I was pretty sure I had enough time to get my 29 laps in.
When I came around on lap 26 or so, my name popped up in red. Somewhere I got the idea this meant I was in the lead (it didn't, it meant my timing transponder was weak) but I started running like I was in the lead. With so many people on the course doing different times and the darkness, it's pretty impossible to know who's in my division or what lap people are on.
I debated my 29 lap idea.
Barb asked about the red and when I realized I wasn't (for sure) in the lead and really had know idea where I stood, I then decided yup, I can get 29 laps in and then I'm finished. I don't care how much time is on the clock or where I am or anything like that. 29 and done.
I felt good about that, my 30 mile goal complete.
When I finished lap 29, there was about 16 minutes left. I went through the timing map and over to the aid station and told Loren I had hit 29 laps and I was done. She looked at me like I had just sprouted another head.
She was like, oh come on. One more. You have plenty of time. One more.
Damn it.
Off for one more I went. And Barb came with me.
When I finished my 30th lap, my watch said 5:55. Five minutes to spare.
30 laps, 31.83 miles. I think Loren wanted me to do that last lap so she could be right about me running 32 miles.
I was tired. My legs weighed at least 200lbs each. And I felt great.
We hung around for the awards, the 12 hour folks finished with us at midnight, and the 24 hour folks were still out there.


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This article was originally featured in The 30 Second Wine Advisor's FoodLetter on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007.
Italian wedding soup
Ah, Italian wedding soup, one of those lovable Old World dishes that comes complete with a story. Serve a bowl, fill your head with images of poor but honest folks in colorful native dress, dancing in circles to celebrate wedding joy while somebody plays the accordion and grandfathers smoking short, crooked cigars smile and clap their hands.
Great story, great image. There's just one little problem: It is not really true. This hearty, warming soup is Italian all right, but at least historically it has nothing to do with weddings. With regional variations from Rome to Abbruzzi to Naples, this peasant dish earned the Neapolitan name "Minestra Maritata" or "married soup," not because of any connection with weddings but simply because it brings together meat and greens in, well, a happy marriage.
But the old name stuck, and over time - more in Italian-American culture than in the Old Country - it became the custom to serve it at wedding feasts, simply because the name prompted the tradition. It's certainly not reserved for nuptials, though: It's often served during the holidays, on cold wintry days, or just about any time you're in the mood for a hearty, healthy soup.
Here's a variation I put together recently, featuring quickly made polpette (Italian veal meatballs) simmered in a little broth, which is then used as the base for a quick soup with spinach (substituted for the more traditional escarole), a little soup pasta and, in my version, streaks of egg-and-cheese scrambles borrowed from the Roman egg-drop soup stracciatella.
It's easy to double or multiply the ingredients to serve a larger group; if you prefer a vegetarian soup, it's easily modified: Hold the meatballs and use vegetable broth, and you've got a hearty (if "un-married") meatless rendition of stracciatella with greens.
INGREDIENTS: (Serves two)
For the meatballs
For the soup
1. First, make the meatballs. Trim the bread crust and cut or tear the bread into small pieces. Put the bread in a shallow bowl and pour the milk over it. Let it sit for five or 10 minutes, then lift out the bread. It will have absorbed most of the milk, but if any is left over, discard it.
2. While the bread is soaking, peel and mince the garlic and cook it in the olive oil over medium heat until it's translucent but not brown.
3. Put the moistened bread in a bowl with the ground veal, garlic and oil, egg yolk, a little grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste, and gently mix them together with a fork, taking care not to over-handle. The less you have to mash the veal, the lighter the meatballs will be. Divide this mixture into 12 roughly equal parts and form them into a dozen small meatballs.
4. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and drop in the meatballs, handling them gently so they don't break up. Let them simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until they're just cooked through (if you kept them light enough, they'll float when they're done); then remove them from the broth with a slotted spoon and keep them warm.
5. Make the soup. Turn the heat under the broth up to medium-high, bringing it back to a boil. Put in the orzo or other soup pasta and cook it for 10 minutes or so or until al dente.
6. Chop or tear the spinach or greens into smallish pieces. Toward the end of cooking, reduce heat to low, put in the greens and return the meatballs to the soup, and cook just until the greens are wilted and the meatballs warmed through.
7. Break the egg into a small bowl, add the 1 tablespoon water, and stir it briefly with a fork. Stir in the grated cheese. Give the soup a good quick stir, then pour in the egg-cheese mixture, a little at a time, so the heat of the soup will quickly cook it into tasty little scrambles. A loaf of good Italian bread is all you need to make this one a light meal ... or, of course, you can put it on the buffet table at a wedding feast.
MATCHING WINE: In retrospect, I would have liked a richer-style Italian white, perhaps a Greco di Tufo, Fiano or Falanghina from Southern Italy or a high-end Soave from the Veneto. As it happened, I was in the mood for a red and tried it with the recently reported Palacios 2005 "Pétalos" Bierzo from Spain. The flavors worked well, but the wine was a little too dark and robust to, er, marry well with the soup.


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Of Neutrinos And Climate Science
Written by Simon Maloy
Neutrinos don't really affect us too much. They're small, sub-atomic particles that are generated in incalculable numbers in the sun's core and ejected out in all directions. A mere fraction of those head towards Earth, where they pass through matter -- stones, trees, humans -- unnoticed. Scientists in the 1960s working in a special underground facility designed specifically to capture the particles observed that of the roughly 10 quintillion neutrinos that passed through their detection apparatus (a humongous pool of heavy water) each day, they were able to detect, on average, two.
And just as neutrinos don't alter our chemistry in any appreciable way, they don't upset the science behind climate change, despite what Robert Bryce of the Manhattan Institute would have us believe.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal this morning, Bryce argues that an (unconfirmed) report of neutrinos that travel faster than the speed of light is sufficient reason to question climate science:
The science is not settled, not by a long shot. Last month, scientists at CERN, the prestigious high-energy physics lab in Switzerland, reported that neutrinos might -- repeat, might -- travel faster than the speed of light. If serious scientists can question Einstein's theory of relativity, then there must be room for debate about the workings and complexities of the Earth's atmosphere.
Particle physics, climate research -- it's all "science," right? Not exactly.
As Bryce notes, the faster-than-light neutrino reports are unconfirmed. If the scientific community jumped and screamed "the sky is falling" every time a small group of researchers released controversial, unverified findings, nothing would get done.
And the logic of Bryce's argument doesn't quite hold up. I could just as easily argue that we shouldn't doubt climate science because the fundamental concepts undergirding other branches of science -- like cell theory and gravitational physics -- stand unchallenged. If serious scientists aren't willing to question Newton or Van Leeuwenhoek, then surely there's no reason to challenge the science of climate change, right? And if it turns out that the CERN physicists were wrong (which is entirely likely), what then?
One of the great triumphs of the modern scientific method is that it encourages challenges to the established order, but requires rigorous proof before changing our fundamental understanding of the physical world. If we do discover that neutrinos are capable of moving faster than light, then we'll have a whole new world of physics to explore. But that doesn't change the fact that belching out carbon dioxide warms the planet.


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Limo Rentals Near Me - My Prom Party Bus Experience
Limo Rental Near Me: Limo rentals near my home are a great option for any occasion. If it is a business convention, family reunion, or romantic getaway, limos provide an elegant and reliable way to transport your guests. A variety of transportation services are available, from taxis and buses to limos. Each brings something different to the table. I will share my reasons for choosing limo rentals near me . When it comes to transportation, the best choice is probably public transportation. Buses and taxicabs can be a bit expensive, especially if you have a large party to transport. Limousines offer a luxury ride that is not available to the public. They also usually offer better passenger safety, extra space, and a more experienced driver who can take the stress out of riding in a busy limo. Limousine rentals also make for a better date. You can choose limos that are specially equipped to make the date special with the latest in technology, gadgets, and amenities. I often travel with


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Miriam H. Baer is a Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School. Professor Baer teaches in the areas of corporate law, white collar crime, criminal law and criminal procedure.
Professor Baer's scholarship, which focuses on organizational wrongdoing in public and private settings, has twice been selected for the prestigious Stanford-Yale-Harvard Junior Faculty Forum. Her most recent article, Timing Brady, which offers a novel explanation for why prosecutors fail to disclose exculpatory evidence to the defense, was selected for the 2014 Junior Faculty Forum at Stanford Law School and will appear in the Columbia Law Review in January 2015. An earlier piece, Cooperation's Cost, which focused on the possible deterrence costs of cooperation agreements with criminal defendants, was selected for the 2010 Junior Faculty Forum at Yale Law School and appeared in the Washington University Law Review. Professor Baer has published her work in additional journals, including the Yale Law Journal Forum, Virginia Law Review, Boston University Law Review, Indiana Law Journal, Boston College Law Review, Florida Law Review and Columbia Law Review Sidebar.
Professor Baer is actively involved in presenting scholarly publications at roundtables and conferences across the nation and has blogged for the popular law professor website, Prawfsblawg. At the law school, she has moderated events for the Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business Law and the Center for the Study of Business Law and Regulation.
Prior to joining Brooklyn's faculty in 2008, Professor Baer spent two years as an Acting Assistant Professor in New York University School of Law's Lawyering Program. Before entering academia, she was an assistant general counsel for compliance with Verizon and an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, where she focused on white collar criminal prosecutions. She also practiced as a litigation associate with Cravath, Swaine & Moore and was a law clerk to Judge Jane Roth of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.


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In the construction of Soergel's bimodules in representtion theory , it's essential for him to work with split Grothendieck groups. Here he starts with a certain small additive category $\mathcal{A}$ and writes $\langle \mathcal{A} \rangle$ for its split Grothendieck group: the free abelian group on objects $\langle A \rangle$ corresponding as usual to isomorphism classes, modulo sums$\langle C \rangle = \langle A \rangle + \langle B \rangle$ corresponding only to the situation $C \cong A \oplus B$.
This is a less familiar situation than the usual Grothendieck group with sums corresponding to short exact sequences which may or may not split.
Where does the notion of split Grothendieck group originate, and why?
This is mostly asked out of curiosity, but I'm also looking for further interesting examples.


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(See also Introduction to Administration and Kinetics of Drugs Introduction to Administration and Kinetics of Drugs See Nanomedicine for an overview of all the ways in which nanotechnology has improved drug delivery. Drug administration is the giving of a drug by one of several means (routes). Drug kinetics... read more .)
All drugs are eventually eliminated from the body. They may be eliminated after being chemically altered (metabolized Drug Metabolism Drug metabolism is the chemical alteration of a drug by the body. (See also Introduction to Administration and Kinetics of Drugs.) Some drugs are chemically altered by the body (metabolized)... read more ), or they may be eliminated intact. Most drugs, particularly water-soluble drugs and their metabolites, are eliminated largely by the kidneys in urine. Therefore, drug dosing depends largely on kidney function. Some drugs are eliminated by excretion in the bile (a greenish yellow fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder).
Drug elimination in the urine
Several factors, including certain characteristics of the drug, affect the kidneys' ability to excrete drugs. To be extensively excreted in urine, a drug or metabolite must be water soluble and must not be bound too tightly to proteins in the bloodstream. The acidity of urine, which is affected by diet, drugs, and kidney disorders, can affect the rate at which the kidneys excrete some drugs. In the treatment of poisoning with some drugs, the acidity of the urine is changed by giving antacids (such as sodium bicarbonate) or acidic substances (such as ammonium chloride) to speed up the excretion of the drug.
The kidneys' ability to excrete drugs also depends on
Urine flow
Blood flow through the kidneys
The condition of the kidneys
Kidney function can be impaired by many disorders (especially high blood pressure, diabetes, and recurring kidney infections), by exposure to high levels of toxic chemicals, and by age-related changes. As people age, kidney function slowly declines. For example, the kidneys of an 85-year-old person excrete drugs only about half as efficiently as those of a 35-year-old person.
In people whose kidney function has declined, the "normal" dosage of a drug that is eliminated primarily through the kidneys may be too much and may cause side effects. Therefore, health care practitioners sometimes must adjust the drug dosage based on the amount of decline in the person's kidney function. People with impaired kidney function require lower drug doses than those with normal kidney function.
Health care practitioners have several ways to estimate the decline in kidney function. Sometimes they base an estimate solely on the person's age. However, they can get a more accurate estimate of kidney function by using the results of tests that measure the level of creatinine (a waste product) in the blood and sometimes also the urine. They use these results to calculate how effectively creatinine is removed from the body (called creatinine clearance—see Kidney Function Tests Kidney Function Tests Doctors can assess kidney function by doing tests on blood and urine samples. Creatinine, a waste product, is increased in the blood when kidney function is decreased by a large amount. Creatinine... read more ), which reflects how well the kidneys are functioning.
Drug elimination in the bile
Some drugs pass through the liver unchanged and are excreted in the bile. Other drugs are converted to metabolites in the liver before they are excreted in the bile. In both scenarios, the bile then enters the digestive tract. From there, drugs are either eliminated in feces or reabsorbed into the bloodstream and thus recycled.
If the liver is not functioning normally, the dosage of a drug that is eliminated primarily by metabolism in the liver may need to be adjusted. However, there are no simple ways to estimate how well the liver will metabolize (and thus eliminate) drugs like there are for kidney function.
Other forms of drug elimination
Some drugs are excreted in saliva, sweat, breast milk, and even exhaled air. Most are excreted in small amounts. The excretion of drugs in breast milk is significant only because the drug may affect the breastfeeding infant (see Drugs That Should Not Be Taken While Breastfeeding Medications and Substances That Should Not Be Taken While Breastfeeding When women who are breastfeeding have to take a medication, they wonder whether they should stop breastfeeding. The answer depends on the following: How much of the medication passes into the... read more ). Excretion in exhaled air is the main way that inhaled anesthetics are eliminated.


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As an affiliate marketer your main job is to presell the products that you are promoting on your website. When you are preselling exercise and fitness equipment, knowing the reasons why people buy them allows you do a better job at preselling.
Below are some of the reasons that people want to buy exercise and fitness equipment. These reasons can also be why people would buy equipment for someone else.
To lose weight and tone their muscles
To become healthier and feel better
To build a lot of muscle
To make their body to look more attractive
To slow down the aging process
To help in the recovery from an illness or injury
To please their family members or other people in their lives
To fit into their clothes
To be more successful in their career or get a new job
To follow an order from a doctor
To get health insurance or life insurance
To be able to exercise in the privacy of their home
To prepare for an upcoming event such as a wedding or high school reunion
To make a one-time purchase instead of buying a gym membership
There are many types of exercise products that affiliate marketers can promote. It is a good idea to choose a niche to specialize in.
Below is a list of some of the products that you can promote.
stationary bikes
spin machines
Pilates machines
free weights
rowing machines
weight machines
ski machines
resistance bands
multi equipment machines
jump ropes
stair climbers
balance balls
sports training equipment
ab machines
You can also feature products related to exercise equipment on your website. Some related products are:
Exercise clothes
Videos and DVDs on exercise programs
Health and fitness magazine subscriptions
Diet plans
Books about healthy cooking and eating, diet plans, exercise plans
Extra equipment or attachments to the products
On your affiliate website you should have words or phrases that will help sell the exercise equipment. Sometimes just one word will resonate with a person and persuade them to buy.
The following are positive words and phrases related to exercise.
lose weight
feel healthy
look better
stop aging
build muscle
increase stamina and endurance
no embarrassment
improve confidence
get in shape
live longer
increase energy
feel thin/sexy/younger/more attractive
look thin/sexy/younger/more attractive
tone up
fit into old clothes
keep the weight off
enjoy the beach
lose fat
eat more
wear a swim suit
Using images and graphics on your website will also help sell the exercise equipment. Visitors to your site will project themselves in the pictures and this will help persuade them to buy.
Some imagery ideas are:
Before and after pictures of people getting into shape
People smiling and enjoying exercise equipment
People at home using the equipment while watching TV or being near their young children
If you are planning to drive traffic to your website by using pay-per-click advertising you will need good keywords for your ad campaigns.
Here are some keywords and phrases related to exercise equipment.
fitness equipment
exercise bike
home fitness
gym equipment
gym machines
home gym
exercise equipment
fitness machines
weight lifting equipment
used exercise equipment
exercise machine
abdominal equipment
fitness exercise equipment
home exercise equipment
weight equipment
exercise program
exercise bike equipment
sports equipment
fitness exercise
Informative articles are something you should have on your affiliate website. These not only help sell the equipment but will help the search engine optimization of your site. Articles will keep visitors on your website for longer and will improve the overall quality of your site.
Here are some ideas for articles relating to exercise:
How a person used the equipment to quickly lose a lot of weight.
How a person got in shape and it helped them get a date.
How a person improved their overall health and fitness
How easy it is to set up or use the exercise equipment.
Building a list of subscribers will enable you to establish a long-term relationship with your visitors. In order to get them to sign up for your mailing list or newsletter you can offer them a free information product related to exercise.
Ideas for free information products related to exercise are:
A list of good and nutritious foods to eat.
A list of exercises they could do anywhere.
How to make time in the day for a quick workout.
Exercise equipment reviews and recommendations.
Diet plan reviews and recommendations.
Since exercise equipment is usually a high ticket item there is the potential to make a lot of money in affiliate commissions. Finding exercise equipment to promote is not difficult. You can check on the official website of the equipment maker and see if they have an affiliate program. You can also search on the affiliate networks to see if they represent exercise equipment. Choose a program that offers a variety of creative linking opportunities. Most programs offer free datafeeds of the merchant's product catalog. Using datafeeds on your website, along with informative articles will allow you to create an authority website that will rank well in the search engines.


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Thoughts & prayers pour in for teen hurt in Colorado shooting
CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Support and concern for a 17-year-old girl critically wounded by a fellow student at a suburban Denver high school poured in yesterday, both online and outside the school.
CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Support and concern for a 17-year-old girl critically wounded by a fellow student at a suburban Denver high school poured in yesterday, both online and outside the school.
People offered prayers and left notes of support for Claire Davis at a fence at Arapahoe High School where white cups spelled out "Pray 4 Claire." A notebook and a Christmas stocking filled with pens hung from the fence, while others left stuffed-animal horses because of her love of riding.
School graduate Parker Semin, 21, said he knelt in front of the fence to pray for a speedy recovery.
On Twitter, people offered prayers in several languages for Davis, who is in a coma at a hospital a couple of miles away from the school.
Hundreds of students and other supporters turned out at the school's track on Sunday to pray and show support for Davis, described as fun, bubbly and caring.
"She is someone we need back, and we're hoping she gets better because Arapahoe won't be the same without her," LinsiAn Loadman-Copeland said.
Maggie Hurlbut recalled how she was upset in the hallway at school once and Davis, whom she didn't know very well, stopped to ask her how she was doing and offer help.
"She just wants to take care of others," she said.
Authorities believe she was randomly shot by fellow senior Karl Pierson soon after he entered the school Friday armed with a shotgun, extra ammunition, a machete and three Molotov cocktails, looking for a faculty member with whom he had a dispute. Davis was sitting with a friend near the school library when Pierson shot her in the head point blank.
In their first comments since the shooting, Pierson's parents said they were shattered and devastated by the shooting and offered their thoughts and prayers for Davis, her family and the entire school community.
"As parents, we loved our son Karl dearly and we are devastated by what happened Friday. We cannot begin to understand why Karl did what he did," Barbara and Mark Pierson said in a statement.
Pierson may have been nursing a grudge against a school librarian who coached the speech-and-debate team. Pierson excelled at speech and debate and was passionate about the team, friends said. They described him as a smart student who sometimes would get into debates with his teachers.
Pierson had been disciplined by the librarian for reasons yet to be disclosed, according to Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson. He has said Pierson threatened that teacher in September and came to the school Friday intending to harm him and inflict numerous other casualties.
The coroner confirmed yesterday that Pierson committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Robinson said Pierson killed himself 80 seconds after entering the school because he knew a deputy assigned to the school was closing in.
The investigation into the shooting continues, but authorities have finished their examination of the school building. Students will be allowed back later in the week to get their belongings for the holiday break.


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If you're not gaming on the Xbox 360, you may not be up on the allure of Achievement points, but let's just say this is a new cottage industry, and one that is being emulated elsewhere, including the PS3 and the PC. In any event, Microsoft this week went after some of the worst Xbox 360 Achievements cheaters:
Today we took action on some of the accounts we have identified as the most serious offenders who have violated the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use by tampering with their Gamerscore and Achievements.
The steps today takes the form of the following:
- Resetting the entire Gamerscore for an account to zero.
- The account will be unable to regain all previously obtained achievements and Gamerscore, however, the players will have the ability to gain future Achievements by earning them fairly, like the majority of the Xbox LIVE community does.
- The account will be clearly labeled as a cheater for the community to view on xbox.com. In dash, the personal view of the gamercard will be labeled as well.
Here's an example account Microsoft set up on Xbox.com to show what a cheater's profile now looks like. That's just mean. :)
Related: Gamerscore Corrections
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Monday, March 29, 2010
How buying "local" produce can have a very high carbon footprint….
Buying "local" food and supporting local farmers and their local produce is one bullet point mantra often touted to be far more sustainable than buying food at a supermarket that belongs to a big company. The main claim for this is that local produce has very low transport costs (from the farm near by to the market), so the carbon footprint for this produce is extremely low. This then would mean that it is far less energy consuming and in the long term far more sustainable.
For a while I thought this was a compelling argument, and sometimes pondered over how guilty I should feel for not heading out to the local farmer's market to buy "local" produce. But then, ever the skeptic, I decided to actually see if this was true.
First of all, at least in most of the US, local food now means food grown not necessarily 10 miles from the city, but within the state. Obviously, there are many cities near which there is no significant farming/agricultural land growing wheat, corn, fruit and vegetables. While Dallas does have farms a hundred miles or so from it, "local" predominantly means within the state of Texas. But since Texas is almost three times the size of France with most of the population in the four large urban centers (Dallas-Fortworth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin) it is very likely that a significant portion of the "local" food is being trucked across hundreds of miles from various rural, agricultural parts of the state to the cities. So that immediately weakens the distance and high energy consumption argument.
But could it still be possible for me to be more energy efficient (and our food more sustainable) if I shopped at a farmers market and not at a supermarket chain? Here is what some simple but rigorous calculations suggest:
Dallas has a lovely farmers market as well as other stores that sell local produce extensively. All of them are located around 8-10 miles from home. So a return trip is about 20 miles by car, through significant traffic. In addition, these stores only sell produce, so if I need a toothbrush or soap or any other daily use produce, I need to head out to a pharmacy or a general store to buy it. So if I get my food from a farmers market my gas consumption will be about gallon of gas a week (or over 50 gallons of gas a year). It also is a significant investment of my time.
In contrast, we live about 500 yards from a supermarket owned by Safeway/Tom Thumb, which is at the end of the street our house is in. It is the typical big American supermarket which sells everything from food and produce to kitchen towels and brooms. In our case, shopping is done on the way back from work without any detour, and on occasion I walk down to the store to pick up stuff. The total extra annual gas consumption for our shopping is zero gallons. In addition, it also saves a lot of time during the week since there is no need to make additional shopping trips for items of daily use that is not food or produce.
All of this only considers individual energy consumption (which can be quite significant), and does not go into the significant energy efficiencies brought about by economies of scale achieved by larger supermarket chains.
There is tremendous value in local food and local crops, and there should be a significant space for it. But even a simple hard look suggests that it is not necessarily a more "sustainable" and energy efficient method of food production. The more I research these issues (and those around "slow food"), the more it seems like they are largely seductive rants against corporations and globalization. Where there remains much value in these ideas, and they should be encouraged, they will not meet any rigorous analysis of sustainability and energy efficiency unless one uses similar eyewash metrics that large, inefficient corporations use.
(For a fascinating and rigorous information on a host of these issues, Just Food is an excellent read).
7 comments:
- sameer said...
Its not about how much you drive, but how much the produce travels! The produce could travel to Walmart/wherever you buy stuff from closerby and that'll help. And its not just fuel, there's refrigeration, preservatives, water etc etc saved.
Even better, try being not just a consumer, but in whatever limited way possible, a producer as well. Even in our little balcony in Bangalore, we grow basil, chillies, the odd tomato. You can use solar panels to make electricity, and harvest rainwater.
Its not so much the hair-splitting calculations, but more the consciousness and attitude that'll help since those determine the goals. The paths to these will be then experimented with, and the right ones found sooner or later.
For instance, your in-between-the-lines goal of reducing the miles done in your car is spot on. And one way or the other, you'll get there now that you've thought of it :) - 8:48 PM
- Big Foot said...
I have rather limited knowledge on this issue but even from a layman perspective I would say that your argument is about a very specific case.
While supermarkets are good for the consumer (everything under one roof) there is a tremendous amount of wastage involved simply because of the massive quantities in which they deal. On the other hand if you chop down that amount into say a 100 small vendors (not necessarily farmers but say small retailers) the amount of wastage goes down.
Nevertheless, a good read :) - 10:46 PM
- Sunil said...
sameer....I understand that the general issue is about how much the food travels to reach the store. But after years of thinking/reading about this, I think the "local" movement has been too glib in their efforts to portray everything local as good, and everything in stores as bad. I used this one simple example to show that it is not as simple as that, and that there are significant inefficiencies in local food, and some efficiencies in supermarket produce. I haven't thought of this just now :-)
Big foot....yes, it is a specific case, but with significant broad implications. Again, I'm trying to point out a large gray area that is outside the vision of both the "local" movements and the corporations. - 7:42 AM
It seems to me that you need to provide some basis for your assertions regarding "local" being defined as anywhere up to 700 miles away, (based on your somewhat singular example of the second largest state). Does your hypothesis hold as well for, say, Rhode Island? As a counter-example, the farmer's markets in Austin are limited to those growing or producing within a 100 mile radius and at least three of the farms selling at the market I patronize are within the city limits.
No doubt "the corporations" are appreciative of any efforts to blur the distinction among providers and their sources. I doubt the "local movements" are as grateful. - 9:15 AM
- Sunil said...
central texas....you're pretty quick off the gun aren't you? Yes, my example is worthless in Rhode Island. I also say that there is plenty of value in very local produce and farmers markets (and I still continue to support them in as many ways as possible). But the point here is that very often buying local is not necessarily more energy efficient or sustainable. As far as other issues go (supporting "communities" etc) there remains much value in local food etc. But there is a need for introspection and analysis within local food movements and slow food movements, which I find singularly lacking. I am not an ideologue, so I really don't care about corporations or movements. But I do care about sustainability, and am just looking hard at all options.
- gEExr said...
I live about 0.2 mile to a Big Chain supermarket and about 0.5 mile to a farmers market - so for me, it does not make much difference in terms of driving, or walking time. So yes, different people have different experiences depending upon where they live.
As one of the comments earlier, it also depends on how much the food had to travel to get to the store. Remember that the least amount of innovation has been done in the area of large-truck automotives, in terms of making them fuel efficient. They are still big cuboids with no thoughts put to aerodynamics. Then consider the amount of energy that is spent in keeping these perishable items at a low temperature - both in those trucks as well as the supermarkets. The last I heard, 10% of the energy used annually in the US was consumed by the food industry. [Heller, Martin C., and Gregory A. Keoleian. Life Cycle-Based Sustainability Indicators for Assessment of the U.S. Food System. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, 2000: 42.] - 9:47 PM
Sunil, I'm not sure this suggests that the local produce mantra is flawed. It only implies that consumers should exert even greater effort in convincing ALL stores (including the supermarket 500 yards away) to stock local produce, whenever feasible. Further, stores need to prioritize same county first, then same state. Consume local seems to make sense.


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Bridget Amber was born on July 7th at 3:13 am, weighing 9lb 13oz, 20.5 inches long. The birth was completely natural, intervention and medication-free, in a hospital with a CNM. Bridget is my fourth baby, my first hypnobaby.
Here are some details. At my first prenatal visit, at around week 10, the midwife informed me I would not be permitted to birth under water this time, due to my history of big babies. Inside a felt like launching an arguement against this ban because I really like birthing in water and I felt like I've already proved myself with my last under water birth of a surprisingly heavy baby at 11lb 5oz. "It went smoothly, so why the ban", I wanted to argue. I decided it's way too early in this pregnancy to get vocal about how I wanted to birth. So much could happen still before the birth that could sway the midwives decision. I decided to hold my tongue. But this "ban" is what made me interested in hypnosis.
Fast forward to weeks 35 and on. I began having PW intense enough to really slow me down. I was still working full-time and doubted that I'd be able to finish working through week 38 as I had planned. The mornings were always when I felt normal, but after 3 or 4 pm, I struggled to keep appearing unaffected by the cramps, pinching down there, short breath, and general squeezing sensation. At 38 weeks my cervix was 3.5 cm open and 50% thinned. The result of these early and annoying PWs. During this time I was totally useless at home in the evenings. Trouble moving around to cook and bathe and put the three young ones to bed. Finally I finished my last day of work and I could just wait. I waited and waited, very much expected the baby to come any day. This was my mindset every day for a week and a half. My guess date was July 8th (but my midwives had it documented as June 29 based on early US). These were some of the slowest days of my life. I felt like I was living in limbo. These are the days when artificial induction, something I'm strongly opposed to, becomes tempting. But thanks to Hypnobabies I had confidence to just keep waiting.
During the waiting week-and-a-half, my PW established a pattern of coming on at 4:30pm, still random and just annoying. Every day, though, they subsided while I slept and I felt normal again in the mornings. Also during this time I had copious amounts of mucus discharge. It didn't look like a mucus plug (brownish, old-looking mucus). Also, toward the end of my waiting week-and-a-half, my stools were a lot looser than ever during pregnancy. I took these as signs that I was getting ever closer.
Then one night I awoke at 12:38 to a PW that got my attention. It was pretty powerful AND it didn't follow my regular pattern of subsiding after going to sleep. I lay awake and felt two more after a half-an-hour. At 1:10 am I woke my husband to say, "You need to go get a cab." Then I called my midwife. I felt like I had to defend my case for "now" being the time to go to the hospital. What do I say, "I've had 3 PWs in the last 1/2 hour?" Most midwives would say go back to bed.
I reminded my midwife how fast my last two birthing times were (under an hour each) and how this activity was not my pattern. She agreed to meet me there. I then called our au pair, who lives in our basement, to tell her we're going to the hospital. She'd be in charge of the kids in the morning when they woke-up. I packed a bag and sat on my birthing ball while my husband lined up a cab. We left the house at 1:45am. I remember a PW hit while getting into the cab. I had to pause for this to pass. Another PW hit while at a red light on Michigan Ave. Somehow, we hit all red lights going up Michigan Ave. through downtown Chicago in the middle of the night! We get to the hospital… PW hits while getting out of the cab. A hospital employee sees me and gets a wheelchair for me. So nice of her since she was off and heading home. We arrive to the hospital at about 2am.
In triage I sit and wait for the nurses to ready a triage room. No other patients are around. This is a busy downtown Chicago woman's hospital that delivers an average of 30 babies a day! The nurse motions me into a room. I have to stop to lean against the doorway through another PW. The nurses are patient. After giving a urine sample and changing into a gown, I get in bed and get an internal. They're used to screening woman who 1/3 of the time get sent home because it's too early. They declare me 7cm open and 100% effaced. They role my bed toward the elevator to admit me to L&D.
A nurse asks me how I'd like to deliver. Under water, I say. She tells me the tub was recently used and there's no time to clean it. Unfortunately I will not be getting a water birth. I'm admitted at 2:15am. In the L&D room, I at first sit in bed and chat with my widwife between waves. Eventually I ask for a birthing ball. I sit on the ball with my head rested on the elevated bed and a couple pillows.
Eventually I'm needed so much concentration for these PW, I've tuned out my environment. Then I feel super hot. I recognize this from my last birth. I know I'm getting close. The involuntary vocalizations start. The "cave woman grunting." "Lower the bed." I manage to say. Now I climb into bed on my knees leaning forward on pillows propped over the elevated head of the bed. This position is close to the hands and knees position I had visualized birthing in. In this position is where the vocalizations escalate and so does the intensity of the PWs. I involuntarily push. I'm totally concentrating on relaxing and following my body's urges. During the pushing stage, my midwife asks for permission to break the bulging bag of water to avoid the mess of an explosion. I agreed to it. In a matter of minutes the baby is out.
She was born at 3:13am, only an hour after being admitted. The baby's nurse asked permission for the eye ointment and the vit D shot. I consented. I liked how she asked first. These treatments as well as other aspects of the baby's exam were done while I held her. So nice to see these changes in the hospital treatment vs. separating baby and mom for these treatments and not even including mom in the decisions. I'm also so pleased with my midwife for being so 'hands-off.' She allowed me to do it my way and in my time. I'd like to have the tub to deliver in, but since it wasn't available at the moment I needed it, I could handle that news since I'd been preparing for a dry birth from the start anyway. If I wasn't prepared mentally, that would have made it harder to accept.
I benefited from the readings and the affirmations from Hypnobabies and the boost to my confidence the overall program gives. I think the positive mental perspective alone are beneficial, since the physical feelings of PWs and birthing are so welcomed, nothing I couldn't deal with. Never did I feel fear or panic as some describe, just empowered and a sense of marvel at the whole process. The female body is a masterpiece!
Fantastic birthing story. With my number 1 due in the next 6 weeks I appreciate the very positive birthing story. Well done mumma!
Beautiful story, thank you for sharing!
I've skimmed hundreds of birth stories over the 17 years I've been a doula, Hypnobabies Instructor, and Hypnotherapist. YOUR story keep me reading to the end! I enjoy your confidence! And let me guess – you have a calm, happy baby after practicing and using Hypnobabies!


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Director Hinson addressed a special business roundtable held in conjunction with the two-day technical meeting of the U.S. - Brazil Joint Action Plan in Brasilia, Brazil. Hinson provided an overview of the Minority Business Development Agency's (MBDA) long history of helping minority-owned businesses become more competitive through greater access to contracts, capital, and markets.
The discussion included over 50 Afro-Brazilian businesses, public officials, and representatives from trade groups. The purpose of the roundtable was to engage segments of the Brazilian population, who have been historically excluded from the types of sustainable economic development that promotes growth and financial security.
Brazil as the host of several international sporting events, including the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup, and the 2016 Olympic Games expects to invest $106 billion in the preparations for these events. These investments, which include expenditures for infrastructure, construction, transportation systems, port improvements, public security, and airport infrastructure upgrades, will present significant commercial opportunities for U.S. companies.
MBDA, our diverse clientele of minority-owned businesses, and other key stakeholders are uniquely positioned to provide mutually beneficial mentorships and strategic partnerships that will lead to economic prosperity. There are unprecedented opportunities for business owners in the United States and Brazil – the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere and MBDA can help build these partnerships.
Director Hinson invited the group to attend the 30th Anniversary of the National Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference in December. The conference is a venue for firms to access information, tools, resources to grow their businesses both domestically and internationally and to build lucrative relationships.
David Hinson is National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency. He is currently in Brazil as a member of a Federal interagency delegation on the U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial Inequality.
Posted at 12:28 PM